


"It's Us against the World."

by baffledvoid



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Character with Tourettes, Clementine Needs a Hug (Walking Dead), Confused Clementine (Walking Dead), God i hate Lilly, Hard of hearing original character, I miss Kat too she deserved so much better, Inspired by The Walking Dead, Kenny is an ass, Lee is dead and im still crying after 8 years, Lilly Being an Asshole (Walking Dead: A New Day), Original Character(s), Other, Parent Lee Everett, SO, The apocolypse is fun that way, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, also, also this is a rewrite, and larry - Freeform, but i miss him, damn this game hits home, so did duck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:33:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29090610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baffledvoid/pseuds/baffledvoid
Summary: Take a child who is HOH and a child who has mild severe Tourettes, and put them in the apocalypse.--
Kudos: 3





	"It's Us against the World."

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing

* * *

It was hard enough living life with little hearing. It wasn’t like they couldn’t hear at all, they weren’t Deaf yet, Rey just… well, They just can’t hear that well. It wasn’t a choice, it just happened. So, of course, their mother paid for ASL classes- just in case, you know? The school didn’t provide the class, not until 8-12 years, and that, to Rey’s 5th-grade mind, was far away.

That wasn’t the only issue, it wasn’t easy making friends. Walls were built, all in fear that… friends would turn against them. They may have been young but it wasn’t easy, not when it’s a common thing around their area. But they didn’t get it bad, god no, they were usually by the teacher 24/7. It was the boy on the playground, the one that just seemed… so out of it.

He was petite, short, and small. He always seemed so distant, and his hands would move violently. Oh, and he was bossy, at the very least. He’s always in this mood that would result in either terrible mood swings or just overall drama. Rey caught him once taking something that they knew didn’t belong to him- It fell out of one of the children's pockets. He’d lie- Lie through his smile, at the teachers, at the students. 

That struck some kind of fire. At some point, kids around them would pick at him. For his ticky hands, his mood swing-bossy moments, his  kleptomaniac ways, lying… It went from those to his looks- Tired, unkempt. He just looked like he didn’t take care of himself. They brought that up, too.

Then it got violent. Rey didn’t know when the shoving happened, nor the kicking, or punching… They just remember seeing kids kicking dirt at a child on the floor. No, not any child, the targeted child- The little boy. He was on his side, curled in pain while covering his face to the best of his abilities. There wasn’t any reason, however, Rey stepped up, pulling on the teacher’s hand and pointing toward them. That’s where the teacher simply took charge, yelling after them. The boys turned to them before looking around. It wasn’t like they had a choice- the teacher was already after them. So, they ran off, one laughing lightly.

Rey paused, before they walked up to the pale boy, watching him sit up with shaky hands and a coughing fit. Rey felt bad, crouching and helping the boy up. A hand on his back, patting it lightly while lifting him to his feet. The boy looked at them, confusion and suspicion in his green eyes, then looked down, closing his eyes as Rey led him to the outdoor bathroom. They pushed the door open with their foot, only using their elbow to keep it open to let the boy in. The moment the door closed, Rey pointed to the sink, strictly. The green eyes looked at their hand before getting the message, sitting on the counter. Then, Rey turned and looked through the stalls. 

The boy sat patiently, messy blonde hair bounced with him as he swung his sore legs back and forth. Rey took note of the cat shirt, three cats on the front, and the blue jeans, covered in a layer of dirt. And the orange shoes, dirt caked on the front of it. He was pale, freckles sprinkled over his skin. He was… nervous. He jumped when Rey kicked open the stalls, Rey took note of it. 

Rey felt his eyes on them. Rey didn’t need to turn to see the confused eyes, can you blame him? He’s literally tormented every day because he was living his own life. They opened the last stall and paused before stepping in, grabbing a roll of toilet paper, and turned, watching his eyes widen at the roll. Rey unrolled it, tearing a few pieces from it before setting the roll down and walking toward the sink. They turned it on, before letting the water soak the toilet paper and then turned to the boy. He was zoned out, eyes focusing on his jeans. He flinched when Rey tapped the counter, they were almost startled at his startled state. “I… Sorry- What was that for?”

Rey blinked before gesturing for his hands. The boy sighed before holding his scarred palms out. “I don’t get it, aren’t you going t-” He was cut off with a hiss, turning away as Rey pressed the wet toilet paper to the red broken skin, watching his hands shake violently, not the way their hands shook. He ended up gripping the sink, a whimper leaving his lips as Rey finished before patting their pockets, reaching into it before pulling a box of bandaids out and setting it on the counter, sticking multi-colored bandaids to the boy's pale palm. He only stared, something was in the back of his mind.

_ He didn’t want to thank them. After all, they didn’t defend him, or stepped in, even. They had waited for the teacher to do so. Al they had done was patch him up, and that wasn’t even a two-man job. But, still, he felt obligated to do Something. _

The blonde boy rubbed his eyes, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding back before looking at the brunette. “M…My name is Wilbur.” Rey looked at him, almost surprised.

_ Wilbur. _

Wilbur watched, waiting for something as Rey went to sign something but paused.  _ He doesn’t know ASL.  _ Rey waited before putting their hand down. That wasn’t an issue, they’d just need to learn to not sign at the moment. They felt like they didn’t need to rely on it now. “I’m Rey.”

**Rey.**

Wilbur almost felt relief at the name. Someone to trust, maybe. That isn’t to say that he instantly became open- He was still distant, watching Rey’s movements as they walked around. It wasn’t until, when talking about them, Rey asked to come to his home and play with Wilbur’s cats. And when they did, it just seemed… Normal? Like fate decided something for the better and graced Wilbur with luck. 

The same went for Rey, but at a later time- 5 years from them. Letting Wilbur witness their breakdowns, not on purpose. Once he was older, once he was more open to Rey about the growing twitches, Tourettes, Rey decided to let their walls down. They, one by one, told Wilbur about  _ everything _ \- Audiologists, all the medical bills, the ASL classes, the unnecessary planned translator- Meltdowns, even their stressed mother. They said everything and the way Wilbur simply listened. He didn’t turn in disgust, didn’t say anything. 

He just listened and stared, watching as the breaking mask was trying to repair itself. Then it just clicked to him- Wilbur wasn’t bright but years after breaking his walls down, Rey built theirs up out of fear, stress even. Snapping at everyone, everything around them. Red, puffy eyes. It just made sense then.

“Hey.” Rey looked up at worried green eyes. A small, fragile smile was on his face. “You’re being strong now. It’ll be okay!”  Even though it seemed... Light-hearted, even the shaky voice for him. He didn’t know what to say. He just said something for their sake. A lie, even. But after years together, soon those words made them hold onto it. For hope’s sake.

And it felt that way too. Wilbur helped convince Rey's mother to ditch a translator, Wilbur promising to keep an eye on Rey and check in when needed. The two mothers ended up sending the two to an ASL class, necessary for Rey, and a “just in case” measurement for Wilbur. Oh, and bullying seemed like it didn’t exist- of course, it didn’t go away, simply kids would tease the two but they were there for each other. 

They were inseparable, they just clicked together. That’s all they could ask for. The two got better- Hell, Wilbur got more tan because he was usually outside with Rey, even if they were reading. Even when Wilbur was nervous, for high school and all that. Even going as far as to dye his hair black (with the help of Rey, of course) after a mental breakdown, fear of bullying, and all that. Even during the hair dying process, Rey simply was there, reassuring Wilbur that they were going to be fine. 

“This is our year,” Rey reminded, yelling slightly over the sound of running water. “This year is for Us! We’re going places.”

Wilbur lifted his head before looking at Rey with a grin. “I’m not doubting you.”

  
  


* * *

Sandra sighed, watching the three with protective eyes. A brunette 17-year-old, a black-haired 16-year-old, and a poofy haired 8-year-old. The two were old enough to be Clementine’s babysitter. Yet, they, themselves, needed one so Sandra was in charge. There was something so… peaceful watching the three, all smiles on their faces despite one turning their head unwillingly, the other not listening- probably not on purpose.

There was a beep from next to the kitchen, making the three kids look over. Sandra moved to grab it, however, the channel with some kid show playing was suddenly interrupted, making her lookup.

“Attention, Civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their death beds and attacking the living. Follow the messages on the screen that will be updated as information becomes available. Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous.

Sandra blinked before turning toward the three who had their eyes glued to the TV. She walked toward them, turning them before leading them outside. “C’mon, let's go to the treehouse,” She ushered, moving Clementine toward the treehouse. Like dead zombies, ironically, Rey and Wilbur followed hand in hand. Clementine climbed up first, then Wilbur, then Rey. Wilbur watched Rey and Clementine crawl in before looking down at Sandra. “What’re you..?”

“Stay up there, I’ll be there a minute.”

  
  
  
  


Wilbur was asleep, leaning on Rey as Clementine looked out the makeshift window. It wasn’t until a gunshot rang out did Wilbur wake up, startled with twitchy hands. Rey looked out the window, the eye’s narrowed as they sat up, their back sore and tense from hiding in the treehouse. “I’ll go look! Can I?! Please?!!”

“No,” Wilbur turned to the window, “I’ll go.”

“Absolutely not,” Rey crawled toward the door, “I will. Both of you stay here.” Without hesitation, Rey slipped out and lowered the latter, climbing down and jumped over the fence. Jogging down the land, skipping areas where dead stood waiting. Then they saw him, a man with a shotgun and a man with his head blown off. Startled, the man threw the gun to the side and backed more into the cop car. Then he looked up, startling Rey. He yelled something, out to them but it was  _ barely _ audible, Rey’s hearing aids turned down. But all they knew was that Loud noise brought attention, turning and making a run for the treehouse.

The moment they made it into the treehouse, they immediately grabbed the shared hammer and huddled themself with Wilbur in the corner. Clementine watched them communicate through their hands, not understanding what they were saying however she joined them in the corner, sat between Wilbur’s legs, holding the hammer for Rey and watching their hands sign things. Stress filled the two faces as information was spread. Rey turned to Clementine, before whispering. “There might be a stranger coming by, try your best to stay quiet, alright?” Clementine only nodded, hearing the thud of someone falling before some groaning, weak fists against the wood. 

A few gunshots later and the groaning soon dissipated. Clementine paused, before looking out of the window. There, a man, leaning over holding his legs and breathing harshly. Wilbur looked at Rey, who looked at Clementine. Wilbur patted her, gesturing for the hammer. She gave it to him and they switched places. Rey watched the door before looking at Wilbur, watching his hand twitch by his legs. Worried felt like an understatement, watching his facial expression as Wilbur kept watch, blondish brown eyebrows furrowed. His eyes seemed like they were scanning the area, twitching and turning. Watching. 

Rey patted his leg, startling him. ‘What’s happening?’ They signed, hurriedly. Carefully, Wilbur laid the hammer on the floor and turned to Rey.

‘The man’s just looking around. His legs hurt.’

Rey crawled to look out, and sure enough, this man was limping across the yard toward the home. Once he entered the home, Rey turned to Clementine. “We have both walkie talkies, right?” Clementine paused. 

She grabbed the one, decorated with stickers as she searched for the other. “No… I didn’t take it with me…”

“We have to wait for him…” 

“He could be trustworthy.” Rey looked toward Wilbur, who was staring out the window. Not that he was looking at anything- there's no internet, the world for the past three days were quiet. But Rey was on edge. “I mean if anything he can help him and then leave him.”

“Nah,” Rey peeped through the door toward the house. “That’s too mean for me.”

Clementine looked at them, before looking through the door. She then softly gasped. “That might be my dad!”

“Are you-”

“Daddy?” The sound of the static startled Rey, making them turn to the talkie. Silence. Rey was about to speak up before radio static played.

“...Hello?”

Rey immediately took the talkie. “You should be quiet.” 

  
  
  


Lee stared down at the talkie. Suspicion rose in him as he looked around. “Are you okay?”

“We’re okay.”  _ We’re? _ “They tried to get us, but we’re hiding until Clementine’s parents come home.”

Lee turned to the sliding door, before backing up. Kid’s, he was dealing with children in this situation.  _ The hell’s going through their brains currently? _ He limped toward the living room, before making the move to look around. “What’s your name..s?”

Lee crouched to look under a table. “I’m Rey. The little girl you heard earlier is Clementine, the one that actually lives here. And my friend, Wilbur, is here.” Three kids. 

“Hi, all of you,” He paused, standing. “I’m Lee.”

“Where are your guy’s parents?”

It was silent, before radio static spiked. “Hey, Wilbur here. I’m sure me and Rey’s mothers were at work.”  _ Aware of the situation _ . “Clementine's parents are… Up in savannah?  _ Right? _ ” A small voice answered up. “Yeah, Clementine was left with some girl named Sandra. Oh! Isn’t Savannah that one place with boats?? That’s gotta be great!”

“Lower your voice!-” 

Lee looked at the walkie talkie, stepping over the blood as he walked toward the sink. There was a window. “Are you guy’s safe?”

“We’re outside in my treehouse,” Clementine spoke, making Lee look outside. “They can’t get in.”

“That’s smart.” 

“See?” The door opened, a black-haired kid with blonde strands appeared, then a brunette with shoulder-length wavy hair, then a child with a hat on over curls. The duo haired waved excitedly. “Can you see us?” Clementine asked, the one with the hat and the talkie in hand. “I can see you through the window!” Lee only smiled, lifting an arm to wave lightly before one, the duo haired, most likely Wilbur, leaned forward before immediately grabbing the walkie talkie. 

“Behind you!”

Wilbur pulled the two into the treehouse, as Sandra’s living corpse attacked Lee. He flinched when the door shut violently, grabbing the walkie talkie and cowarding in the corner. Rey looked at him before turning to clementine, “Where’s the Hammer?”

“Right here!” Clementine hurried to give them the hammer, watching as they immediately threw it out the door, following its trail. 

Rey climbed down the ladder, jumping the last part before grabbing the hammer, and ran toward the stairs. Once they made it to the sliding door, they opened it as Lee was pushing off Sandra, who just kept grabbing him, but he still kicked. 

Rey backed up, in fear mostly, watching her corpse try and attack Lee, him struggling to push her off before he pushed her off, backing away. “Here!” They held the hammer out, watching his head turn to grab it, turning and hitting Sandra. Upper ground, at least this adult has some fighting techniques… Rey stood, watching as Lee bludgeoned the already dead corpses to death.

Creaks of two sets of feet ran toward Rey, a little girl under their arms and a frightened boy holding their arm, hiding behind them as they all watched him murder their once babysitter. Lee sat up straight, before leaning over to take a breather, the stress that was picking away at him was lifted off his shoulders as he looked up. “Hi there…”

The three, after Rey, backed up before Clementine looked at Lee. “Did you kill it?”

“I think something else did,” Lee spoke, “Before me, I think.”

“Sandra was screaming two nights ago…” Wilbur spoke, making Rey look back at him before wrapping an arm around him. “One of those creatures got to her, I think.”

“Two nights ago?” Lee paused. “Yeah, that’s probably what happened.” He looked at all of them before crouching, mainly for Clementine’s sake. “You’ve all just been by yourself the entire time…?”

“Yeah. I want my parents to come home now.” Clementine leaned toward Rey, feeling stressed.

“I think that might be a little while, you know?”

“Oh…”

“Look,” Lee leaned forward, holding Clementine’s shoulder and Rey’s arm, looking at the three. “ I don’t know what happened. But I’ll look after you three until then.”

Wilbur held Rey lightly, tension leaving the two and replaced with a… feeling of safety. Wilbur looked from Rey to Clementine, to Lee, and Back to Rey. With shaky hands, he signed to Rey, who signed back. ‘Trustworthy?’. ‘Maybe, we’ll see though.’

Clementine looked at them, worriedly before turning to Lee. “What should we do now..?”

**Author's Note:**

> dont share  
> dislike  
> and unsubscribe for more awful stories.


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